Written by Christina Chang
Translated by H.B. Qin
Edited by Dilber Shatursun
On July 24, 2024 the Park Fire struck the Northern California city of Chico, destroying 636 buildings and leaving 49 more damaged. In response, Tzu Chi USA’s Northwest Regional Office swiftly mobilized to support those who were affected. Less than three weeks later, on August 10th and 11th, Tzu Chi volunteers began distributing emergency cash cards at the Local Assistance Center and at the CHIP Housing office to help.
Empathy and Relief from Tzu Chi Volunteers
During the two-day distribution, a total of 35 Tzu Chi Northwest Region volunteers participated in the relief efforts, distributing a total of $61,400 in emergency cash cards to 91 separate households. They also provided eco-blankets (made with DA.AI Technology), reflecting Tzu Chi’s commitment to providing thoughtful comfort for survivors through innovative means, and Tzu Chi’s signature bamboo banks, which encourage each care recipient to foster a practice of generosity to pass on to others.
When the survivors arrived at the distribution site, Tzu Chi volunteers provided an adequate amount of cash cards according to the affected situation and family size of each household to assist with short-term emergency living needs. At the same time, volunteers brought a letter of condolence from Master Cheng Yen to comfort the survivors who were suddenly hit by the unpredictable wildfire. Volunteers listened to the survivors’ experiences, gave warm hugs, and encouraged the survivors who had lost everything with their clasped hands, letting them know that they were not alone and that there was still love and companionship from all walks of life.
Once registered, Tzu Chi volunteers assessed each household’s situation and provided cash cards based on their family size and needs. Care recipients were also presented with a letter from Tzu Chi’s founder, Dharma Master Cheng Yen, which expressed condolences and words of comfort. Reading her words of support, reassurance that they were not alone, many care recipients were moved to tears.
Stories of Resilience and Gratitude
Living just north of Chico in Cohasset, CA, care recipients Brandy and Peter Grout faced immense challenges. The couple’s fathers are both elderly, with Brandy’s father’s being bedridden. On the day the Park Fire encroached their home, they realized they had just 20 minutes to evacuate. While they were able to get their parents out alive, it left little time for them to collect valuables or necessary items from their home, which ended up burning down to the ground.
With no insurance to cover the damage, the family of six now live in a small trailer. Receiving Tzu Chi USA’s cash card, Brandy realized it would cover the costs for a generator for her father’s life-support machine. While the road ahead of her and her family would be far from easy, she expressed hope.
We are so grateful. All the [Tzu Chi] volunteers have been so kind and generous. We’re very lucky.
Daisy Emerson, another survivor and care recipient, arrived at the distribution on August 10th wearing a sweatshirt reading “Cohasset Girls Will Survive.” Wearing it, she was proud to inspire fellow survivors and show solidarity for recovery and resilience. With her cash card in hand, Daisy told Tzu Chi volunteers the funds would help her buy kitchen and bathroom supplies while she was temporarily living in her friends’ home. With those covered, she could focus her earnings as a professional cleaner to purchase a small trailer for herself, her daughter, and granddaughter to live in.
Austin Petersen had his own story of loss. Having just separated from his wife several months prior, he and his daughter were suddenly left homeless from their residence in Cohasset, CA. Living with his parents again, though temporary, proved challenging; a common experience for many disaster survivors who must cohabitate with family, for better or worse. While grateful to have a roof over his head, the weight of Austin’s living situation, his family situation, and the loss of his job, too, proved to be overwhelming.
Meeting with Tzu Chi USA Northwest’s Executive Director, Minjhing Hsieh, he found a compassionate spirit who could empathize with all he had been going through. “I feel like I’ve gained a lot of positive energy and encouragement from talking with Tzu Chi volunteers.” He went on to say that “when I move past my current predicament, I’ll put what I’ve learned here into practice: the bamboo bank spirit… to the next person in need.”
Sadly, for Kenneth and Silvia Baker, it wasn’t their first time experiencing a devastating wildfire. Back in 2018, they had lost their home after the Camp Fire. They had also received cash cards from Tzu Chi USA Northwest then, too, along with a bamboo bank. Having went on after that to live in Cohasset, they kept their bamboo bank in their living room, dropping their spare change into the bank.
Now, they were faced with an eerily similar situation: a burnt down home and now, sitting humbly across Tzu Chi volunteers. Reading a letter of condolence from Dharma Master Cheng Yen, the founder of Tzu Chi, the couple was moved to tears. “I have never seen such humble and selfless people like you [Tzu Chi],” Kenneth shared.
"These [Tzu Chi] volunteers are willing to give their time and donate money to those in need. You can spend the time you could have spent with your family with us. To me, that’s more meaningful than a cash card would be.”
Listening With Compassion
Another couple, Stephanie and Orlan Ingraham, had previously opened their home as a temporary shelter after the Oroville Dam collapsed in 2017. More than 50 families came to stay with them. This time, however, the Park Fire came for their Cohasset home. While they had survived, Stephanie carried a heavy weight in her heart.
“The voice in my heart kept asking, ‘I’m a good person… so why did this happen to me?,’” she explained. For many disaster survivors like Stephanie, the trauma of losing so much can be suddenly debilitating. Hearing about her struggles, Tzu Chi volunteers gave her a heartfelt embrace, and let her know that Stephanie could reach out to them anytime for further support.
A Giving Spirit
Community volunteer Joseph Ochoa served in the military for 15 years in his youth and joined Silicon Valley’s tech industry. His mother-in-law, Huier Liu, is a veteran Tzu Chi volunteer. The two actually both went to earthquake stricken areas in Haiti many years ago on humanitarian missions there. Huier Liu was there caring for the survivors, while Joseph went with his troupe to deliver supplies to survivors.
In 2024, he officially went into training to become a Tzu Chi volunteer. Participating in the distribution as a volunteer this time, Joseph said “I felt like it was a family, and in meeting these survivors, I saw how different people were so helpless and in need of support when being hit by the same wildfire.”
More locally, Tzu Chi Chico staff member Suzanne Morrison joined the ranks of the Tzu Chi family after the Camp Fire. Working mainly with volunteers to address the long-term needs of wildfire survivors, the Park Fire brings familiar territory with it. As such, she’s liaised with partner organizations to track developments on the situation and to conduct on-site assessments in Cohasset, observing firsthand the damage that had been done. Having seen what recovery from a fire looks like, she acknowledges the journey ahead for families impacted by the Park Fire.
"The most important thing in the future is to keep the survivors confident and hopeful. Tzu Chi will not give up on them and we will continue to support them along the way.”
Ongoing Support
As the Park Fire recovery continues, Tzu Chi remains committed to offering aid and companionship to the survivors, ensuring they have the support they need to rebuild their lives.
